Craig Camp
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While busily typing away at home I begin to feel a little light-headed and I soon begin to notice a strange sweet, warm, floral smell filling the house. Soon there is a knock at the door. There's my neighbor Franco smiling broadly. "Come, come quickly," he says excitedly. "The grappa is starting to come."
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Up, up, up...
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Coming home
in Wine
I agree with LOS. The Jermann Tunina and Capo Martino are quite tight when young and really don't start to show their best until after their 5th birthday. I just tasted through their 2002 line-up and, as LOS noted, the chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio are quite forward and delicious already, while the Tunina, Capo Martino and Vinnae are very firm at the moment. I think the best point for drinking Tunina is at about 6 to 8 years old depending on the vintage. I have had bottles over ten years old that were quite exceptional.Craig,
This was the first time I have tasted this wine and had nothing to compare it to, hence my comment about "a couple of years."
Best, Jim
As always the Florida Jim palate was right on the money.
...by the way - how did Tunina sneak past your inquiring taste buds all these years. The wine world is just too big and there is not enough time.
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Coming home
in Wine
I agree with LOS. The Jermann Tunina and Capo Martino are quite tight when young and really don't start to show their best until after their 5th birthday. I just tasted through their 2002 line-up and, as LOS noted, the chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio are quite forward and delicious already, while the Tunina, Capo Martino and Vinnae are very firm at the moment. I think the best point for drinking Tunina is at about 6 to 8 years old depending on the vintage. I have had bottles over ten years old that were quite exceptional.
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This is indeed a lovely wine, but Nosiola doesn't get much better than Pojer e Sandri who make one of the best versions. I was glad to see this note as once again it debunks the idea that Italian white wines don't age well. Bolla Soave and Santa Margherita may not age well, but wines from outstanding producers like Pojer e Sandri age well in the short term and develop a new range of complexity in the process.
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I tasted the '98 normale and wasn't thrilled with it (even though it was very young), but the '95 Poggio All'Oro, '97 Alle Mura, and '97 normale were all good (again, young).
When I tasted the 98 I was not too impressed on the first day, but on the second liked it quite a bit. I wood say the 98 did not handle the oak as well as the more naturally fruity 99 vintage. By the way the 99 also showed more sangiovese character on the second day then on the first. The 99 is overall a much more complex wine than the 98 - just as you would expect.
It is my feeling with the Banfi Brunello wines is that they need to lose their "baby fat" with a few years of bottle age.
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Hi Craig,
>> Whether you are a Banfi fan or hater,
Why would one be a hater? Your tasting notes don't
imply anything negative. Not over-oaked or over-
extracted. So...?
Thanks,
Steve.
Banfi is a large corporation with a lot of money and power - that enough is enough for some people to hate them.
Castello Banfi has also taken a decidedly non-traditional approach in making Brunello and introducing new types and styles of wines to the Montalcino region. There are many wine drinkers think this has changed the style of this regions wines for the worse - they hate Banfi too.
My point was that even if you don't like their more modern style of wines you have to give them credit for making a positive impact on the entire region - even on traditional producers like Biondi Santi and Costanti.
As you can see by my making the 99 Banfi Brunello a Raccolta Selection I felt it was indeed an excellent wine - albeit in a modern style.
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Many thanks to Alberto for all the work and useful information!
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Is this guy lucky or what? Pavie is rapidly becoming the most famous wine in the world.
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I was glad to see the Brunello win the big prize for Banfi instead of the double capital letter duo of ExcelsuS and SummuS or the good student of the group, Cum Laude. As good as these wines are, for me, their Brunello di Montalcino wines have always been the most impressive.
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Gentlemen - this is dangerously close to becoming a a personal debate which is not our purpose here. Please take any disagreements to PM.
However, debating decanting is a worthwhile topic. So worthwhile it merits its own thread. A WTN is a personal opinion that is interesting on its own merits. Could I suggest that one of you (or anyone else) start a thread on the topic which is broader than this one wine.
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Craig,
Great witty article. I really enjoyed reading it.
I was wondering if you have information about MiWine. I've been reading about it on the Italian press but haven't really been able to understand what it is, apart that it was created as an answer to the Vinitaly chaos.
Do you know if Slowfood still organises food-wine tasting at Vinitaly or if that's now only limited to "Salone del gusto"? They did, if I remember correctly, in the first editions of the convention.
The organizers of MiWine are indeed hoping to offer an alternative to Vinitaly. Whether they succeed or not we will know soon. For more info here is their website. I hope it does because its takes me less than an hour to get there by train and I can sleep at home at night! Certainly Milano is a more appropriate place to host such an event with far more hotels, restaurants and a public transportation system that takes you right to the fiera.
Slowfood still does their food and wine thing at Vinitaly, but getting a table is another story. They have a gigantic stand there, which is mostly a bookstore. There are also quite a few tents set up outside where various regions host food and wine tasting lunches - good luck getting a table at any of them.
...and thanks for the kind words.
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The producer's own comments on their wine are interesting:
The red Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be drunk young, due to the extreme maturity attained by the grapes and the 18 months sojourn in old oak barrels. However it is preferable to wait longer ( provided the wine is kept in good conditions ), from three to eight years for a good vintage. In great years the wine can last 15 years and more.It should be noted that much depends on your taste. For 6 to 8 years a great wine will keep its aromas of ripe fruit with an underlying spiciness. Later on ( or in the Cuvée Laurence ), the wine presents a more animal aspect with aromas of leather and tobacco.
This would seem to agree with geo t's own notes.
...and who is that Robert Parker guy that agrees with you?
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...a little brett there Brad?
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My those are cheap? Were they close-outs or are you a tough negotiator?
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There is value in that. Is there any role for serious collectors there?
The advantage is that many producers schedule their new releases to coincide with Vinitaly - so ,for instance, you could have tasted many 2001 Barbaresci, 2000 Baroli, 2001 Chianti Classico Riserva and so on...
It is a good way to learn the character of a new vintage by working your way through one area at a time in-depth.
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I agree with you John. If you are not in the trade and committed to grinding out each day Vinitaly is not what I would recommend to anyone. However, for members of the trade it offers a one-of-a-kind chance to network and see more key people than you possibly can see in any other way.
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Welcome to Vinitaly: the world's largest wine tasting. For five days in early April Verona is descended upon by representatives of every facet of the Italian wine business from every corner of the world. Verona is overwhelmed by the onslaught. This is not the time of the year to visit Juliet's Tomb.
Click here to visit Vinitaly in this installment of Wine Camp in The Daily Gullet.
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Jim dear, would you mind posting the prices with your notes? I've seen you do that sometimes. It lets me know when I can get my hopes up.
Thank you.
You don't want to see the price on the Cheval Blanc.
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Good pinot noir at this price range is hard to come by and the Castle Rock name keeps coming up. What's the story with this winery? Anybody know who the winemaker is and other details on this producer.
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A lovely dry rose will keep you in the Nicoise theme -
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I had the pleasure to visit the winery and meet Dr. Frank some 30 years ago. It is one of my favorite wine memories . I was coming back from a vacation and stopped to visit the Finger Lakes as the wine bug had already bitten me and as Dr. Frank was already legendary my highest priority was to visit him. The old man spent about half the day with me in the winery and vineyards. When it was time to go and I commented to him it was hard to choose which bottles to buy, but my end of vacation cash supply was low. The good Doctor laughed and sent me away with 2 cases of assorted wines saying to send him a check when I got home. I still have the copy of the canceled check signed by him.
Dr. Frank made his fame not as a winemaker (although he made some very good wines), but as a vineyardist whose work with vinifera established they could be grown in climates like the Finger Lakes
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I don't think this is a discussion about whether it is OK for geo t. to decant wines for as long as he wants - they're his wines and it's his palate so he can put them in a blender if he so chooses. There is no right and wrong when it comes to taste - your own palate is always right for you.
For me I find it interesting that he feels that extended breathing improves a Burgundy and others don't - so I think it is worthwhile to discuss. I don't think anyone is trying to convince him NOT to decant Burgundy. I certainly am not.
Decanting Burgundy is a question that comes up again and again and I think expanded explanations on the subject by someone like geo t. who obviously has an educated palate enlightening, educational and interesting. In a discussion contrary points and questions bring out more information and points to be considered. Debates are not very interesting or educational when everyone is on the same side.
Half-bottles in restaurants
in Wine
Posted
Money is the answer.
It is expensive for wineries to produce half-bottles. It is expensive for wholesalers to maintain inventories of half-bottles and full-bottles. For a good restaurant to have an excellent wine-by-the-glass program AND an excellent half-bottle program is expensive - and for that matter why have a large half-bottle list if you have a great wine-by-the-glass list? In fact, since every good dry wine is offered primarily in full-bottles and they are cheaper to buy and produce why not just create an outstanding wine-by-the-glass program - it has to be cheaper and certainly offers more options.
My experience as a wholesaler and an importer was that everybody complained and asked for half-bottles, but almost no one ordered them and those that did almost never re-ordered.
...and the other answer is they just don't sell.